A Student In French Arts
by A-BondofFlame-R
Summary: Kyoya had no idea that this yaoi cosplay would turn out this way. He never knew he'd end up learning anything from Tamaki, either, but there's a first time for everything, right? And right now is an especially perfect time for his first kiss, huh? Slash.


**First Ouran Fic, so...gentleness, please? I'm also working on a Hitachiincest fic as we speak, so I might post it if I get some news that this one doesn't totally bomb. **

Kyoya silently scribbled in his little black book, trying in vain to ignore the blond pleading loudly in his ear. He tried recalling the facts in his mind, mentally counting the numbers over and over.

"Pleeeeeease, Mommy dear?" Tamaki whined again, scooting closer to him on the couch. Sighing and pushing his glasses up the curve of his nose, Kyoya tore his eyes from his writing to face the whimpering French man.

"I'm sorry Tamaki, but I'm afraid the girls have been looking forward to our yaoi cosplay for quite a while. And I'm more concerned with the customers than your slight fear of outing Haruhi for an actual girl," he drawled in an even tone. The blond stared at him a moment or two, widening his eyes to try and sway him, but huffed and crossed his arms when he saw that it wasn't working.

"I can't believe you, Kyoya! Why're you so mean to me? Especially in front of the children..." he sniffled, pouting like a child. The other male shrugged slightly and returned to budgeting their upcoming afternoon. It was going well, so far. He'd planned everything out, with Haruhi counting the little slips of paper, Mori explaining what yaoi is to Hani, and the twins...just being the twins. In hindsight, the Ootori probably should have assigned the Hitachiin brothers a task, but he couldn't be bothered now. And besides, they were just...rehearsing.

"Ha, Kyoya! I found a flaw in your plan!" Tamaki burst out, leaping up from his position on the sofa. Curious, Kyoya's eyes trailed up to his friend. Tamaki was grinning like a cat, obviously ecstatic that he'd found a 'flaw.' Kyoya snorted a bit in amusement, thinking that he'd probably already taken care of any problem Tamaki might have _just_ found.

"Oh really? And what might that be, your Highness?" A single black brow arched, feigning curiosity.

"You see, Kyoya," the blond started, wagging a single finger in front of his nose, "there are an odd number of us! Not everyone of us can be in a yaoi pairing today!" His cheeks were flushed with excitement at his discovery, and Kyoya didn't hesitate to explain to him the solution.

"Yes, I realized that. And after a helpful suggestion from Renge, I put it up to a vote from the customers to see who 'dates' who. That way the customers will be pleased. The odd person out will take care of making sure to mark down our profit," he reasoned, returning to his work. Tamaki fumbled for a moment, before falling back down on the couch and mumbling dejectedly.

"But you always mark our profits, Kyoya."

"Yes, I know," he smiled happily. He was pretty certain that he would still be the one marking profits today. In any case, he didn't want anything to do with this yaoi skit. Kyoya was never good at wooing the customers like Tamaki or captivating them like the twins, so he didn't really have any experience with the whole lovey dovey act.

Haruhi walked over, a wide grin across her gender ambiguous features. She held out a little slip of paper to Kyoya, which he took and scanned over through his glasses.

"Here you go Kyoya-senpai, I tallied all the votes and the couples for this afternoon are on the back of the paper," she beamed, happiness resonating in every syllable. Kyoya raised another curious eyebrow but said nothing, choosing to read the slip instead. The couples were listed as:

_Hani and Mori_

_Hikaru and Kaoru_

_Kyoya and Tamaki_

Kyoya's subconscious screamed at him to stop, don't do this, but his in his mind he knew he had to do this whether he liked it or not. He rose from his sitting position and tucked his pencil into his notebook, adjusting his glasses again before responding to the brunette girl.

"Thank you Haruhi. I'll go set everyone up," he stated plainly, handing over his black book into her surprised hands and turning his attention toward the awe struck Tamaki. "Come along." He tugged slightly on the dazed boy, getting his body to follow him, seemingly without thought involved. They walked to the other end of the room, as Tamaki stuttered, flailing his hands in confusion.

"Kyoya, why did you just- I mean, you take care of our funds- Why isn't Haruhi over here-" he asked, rapid firing his half baked questions. Kyoya shushed him with raising a single finger over his shoulder, toward Tamaki, who in turn bit his no doubt manicured nails nervously. The blond's gaze flicked quickly between the smug Haruhi to the silent Kyoya in wonder. As he passed, the dark haired male beckoned to everyone and they quickly formed a bunch behind their leader.

Kyoya turned himself to face his fellow Hosts, and coughed slightly in hopes of ridding himself of the awkwardness to come.

"Alright men, I've got our selected couples for this afternoon's cosplay. They are as follows, Hani and Mori, Hikaru and Kaoru, and Tamaki and I," he said quickly. Hani climbed up on Mori to sit and giggle on his shoulders, the twins clasped hands, and Tamaki blinked.

"Wait a minute, did you just say-" started Kaoru,

"That the boss isn't paired with Haruhi?" Hikaru finished. They blinked in unison, expecting a response. Kyoya remained silent for a moment, tilting his head down and creating a glint in his glasses.

"Yes, I did," he growled lowly. The twins yelped and shrunk back, clinging to each other and shaking. Hani put a finger to his lips and smiled.

"Don't worry, Hika and Kao-chan, Kyo-chan is just a little upset that he actually has to act romantic. Besides, the customers like it this way, don't they Takashi?" he cooed innocently.

"Yeah," replied Mori. Kyoya straightened his neck and cleared his throat again, regaining his composure. He turned his head to the side and surveyed all of them as he spoke.

"Yes, I know. So all of us need to prepare for this yaoi cosplay. Let's rehearse. And you two," he pointed at the twins, "really only need to kick it up a notch, so go help Haruhi with the budget for now." With a salute, the two red head's bounded off toward their only female Host. Kyoya turned his body around, looking away from the club. He was definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place. He certainly didn't know how to...be affectionate, especially in a romantic way. Sighing, the Ootori boy felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"Okay Kyoya, I have a question. Who is top and who is bottom?" It was a legitimate enough question, and quite honestly, Kyoya did not know. He'd never really thought about Tamaki and himself in that sort of...manner. He felt a flush rise on his face.

"I'm not sure, Tamaki. I'm not familiar with how we differentiate the roles by characteristic. Usually the shorter of the two, or the more feminine, is the bottom, but we're both around the same height and neither of us look female..." he trailed off, that being the end of his knowledge on the subject. The blond exhaled in frustration. They stood in silence for a while, the voices of the rest of the Host Club in the background as the duo pondered, with Tamaki's hand still radiating warmth onto Kyoya's shoulder.

"Hey, I have an idea Mommy," the other breathed, the warm air he was expelling running down Kyoya's neck, "Since I call you Mommy and I'm Daddy, how about we just make you bottom?" The other male considered the idea, quickly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

"That should work fine. It would be a little suspicious if Mommy were dominant over Daddy. Unless, of course, Daddy was into that sort of thing..." he trailed off, smirking toward the reddening blond.

"H-hey! I'm not into- I don't even- I'm not-" he stuttered, earning a rare peal of laughter from Kyoya as he reached a hand out to clamp over Tamaki's motor mouth.

"Calm down, you may be my friend but what you do on your own time is none of my business as long as you do an honest day's work," he jested, watching as Tamaki squiggled down into a fainted position. Just then, the distant ringing of bell chimes sounded as the Ouran bell tower signified that it was now three in the afternoon, opening time for the Host Club.

"Alright now," said Kyoya, raising his volume just a bit, "Everyone please just act normal. Remember that we're supposed to lead our guests into our couples to keep up suspense and interest," he chided gently. The various Hosts spread out across the room, though it wasn't really much different than their normal setup, minus the fact that Kyoya was actually in the fray of things and Haruhi was not. Kyoya sat down on one of the center couches next to Tamaki, crossing one leg over the other and running over in his mind how on Earth he was supposed to do this. As he was pondering, the blond leaned over and whispered to him.

"We didn't really rehearse, so I guess we're just going to have to wing this one, huh?" he laughed, smiling like the idiot he was.

"I suppose we will..." he sighed, just as the first few guests wandered into the abandoned music room. Kyoya tried his best to hide his discomfort and his uneasiness.

He didn't really like this idea.

"Hello, Tamaki, Kyoya. How're you boys today?" inquired one of their newer guests, a girl with short cropped blond hair as she sat across from them with three of her friends. Tamaki took charge and answered for the both of them.

"Oh, thank you for asking ladies. Actually, Kyoya and I are rather tired today. I kind of got into a dispute with my family earlier this morning and Kyoya here has had to listen to my moping all day," he explained, making a rather convincing story. The black haired boy had never heard of any family problems, but he did have to listen to him whine.

"Yes," he interjected, "And you ladies know how...wordy Tamaki can get, I'm sure." The girls 'awwed' at him, and one of them reached forward to pat Tamaki's knee. All the guests knew better than to touch Kyoya.

Suddenly there _was_ a hand on his knee, and Kyoya's brown eyes traced the hand back to Tamaki's indigo eyes that were sparkling with unshed tears. He knew, subconsciously that nothing was wrong, but he feigned surprise and softened his face.

"I...I'm sorry, Kyo-kun. I know I'm annoying a lot, and...I'm glad that you're patient with me." In his peripheral vision, Kyoya saw the girl's beginning to melt at the scene. He didn't quite know what to say, and he didn't want to ruin this for the girls, so he just lowered his eyelids and smiled softly back at Tamaki.

"Did he...did he just say Kyo-_kun?"_

_ "_Oh, yes, he did!"

"Wow, I can't believe it! An Aries and a Scorpio? Ooooh..." the girls whispered and giggled among themselves, but Kyoya really wanted nothing more than to end this scene. As he pulled his gaze away, Tamaki seemed to get the message and turned the conversation back to their guests.

"So how are you fine ladies doing today?" he asked them, his tone and face expressing the most genuine sincerity. It was quite a redeemable feature, and evidently the girls thought so too as they swooned.

"Oh, we're doing alright today senpai. But...if it's not too much trouble, could you tell us why you were arguing with your family today? I thought you all were really close..." said another girl shyly, a blush painting her fair cheeks. Next to him, Tamaki hummed deep in his throat and ran a hand through his locks.

"Well, girls...I...I sort of got into a fight with him about a friend of mine. He just got a bit concerned about how much time I spend with him and I got angry, because his reasons for concern weren't very good. He wasn't concerned about my friend who is hurting right now, but about the fact that it seems like I'm gay. And...I didn't really take it very well." His eyes had drifted toward the floor in what he was trying to pass off as sadness, and it worked. But Kyoya couldn't help but think this story sounded somewhat familiar... Oh well, the girls were writhing with curiosity.

"Who is your friend, Tamaki-sama?" Here, Tamaki subtly nudged Kyoya with his foot. Then it clicked, in the Shadow King's head.

This story was about him. And oddly enough, it actually fit. Maybe the Suoh boy wasn't as dense as he seemed sometimes... But at this point, all of it was too much for Kyoya to handle. He hated being unprepared, hated being blind, and most of all, he hated it when someone else noticed something about him that even he wouldn't admit to himself. The ebony haired boy rose, pushing his glasses up as they gleamed to hide his eyes. He remained silent, pondering on what he should do next. He knew he couldn't stay in his current position with the guests and Tamaki, but he didn't have anything to do. He felt the stares pointed at him and started to sweat.

"Please excuse me, ladies." He tried, his voice uncharacteristically wavering. He could feel his frame trembling, and as he turned to walk away, he walked right into a wall.

A wall named Tamaki Suoh. Kyoya froze himself, unsure of what was happening. He felt his nose brush against a few strands of golden blond hair, and again he felt Tamaki's breath against his neck.

"I'm sorry, Kyoya, I didn't mean to upset you by bringing it up again," he whispered, loud enough so that the girls could hear. Slowly, he wove his arms around the dark haired man's back, pulling him in slightly. Tamaki was...hugging him. The whole room went silent as one girl fainted at the sight, at the never before seen display of physical affection toward the Demon Lord.

They all waited anxiously, nerves on end, eager to see what Kyoya would do. Would he calmly step away? Or would he angrily punch his friend? Perhaps an enraged outburst? Everyone expected the worst as he stood there, silent as ever. However, he did something nobody expected.

Kyoya raised his arms hesitantly, holding them in mid air. Then he clutched the cloth at Tamaki's back, pulling the other male closer and turned his face down, hiding it from the world while resting on a broad shoulder. All at once, the room gasped, including the other Hosts. His entire posture softening, the blond nuzzled Kyoya's head gently with his own cheek.

"Just please don't run away again..." he murmured again, just loud enough for the crowd to hear. Then, as the crowd emitted a shushed coo of adoration, Tamaki spoke again, his warm breath tickling Kyoya's ear.

"You're coming to stay at my house tonight, okay? I'll take care of alerting your family, and don't worry about mine. It'll just be us and the help at the estate, alright?" Fighting off a case of shakiness, Kyoya squeezed Tamaki closer to him.

"Okay," he whispered, answering before he even had time to think about it. Tamaki turned his cheek toward the more unoccupied section of the room, where Haruhi was relaxing and smiling ever so slightly.

"Haruhi, would you contact Kyoya's family for me please?" he asked. Haruhi sighed, but picked up a phone regardless, punching in the numbers. The blond pulled himself and Kyoya back down to sit on the couch again, keeping the embrace the entire time but pulling his face away and nudging the ebony locks with the tip of his nose.

"Kyoya, are you going to be okay for the moment, or would you like me to take you home now?" he asked tenderly. He sat, silent still, trying to regain his composure before lifting his head slowly off of his friend's shoulder. Raising his dark brown eyes to meet royal blue ones, Kyoya relaxed his grip on Tamaki, but did not let go.

"I think...that I'll be alright." A pair of eyes searched deep within his own, flicking this way and that as he was studied. After inspection, Tamaki sighed and rubbed his cheek fondly, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

"Alright then, Kyo-kun," Kyoya just barely distinguished. His mind was on overdrive right now, fighting an intense blush off. He knew in his mind this was a yaoi cosplay, and this was what they were supposed to do, but it still seemed too much. Then he felt Tamaki's warm arms untangle themselves from his body, instead choosing to sling one of said arms over his thin shoulders. Instead of fighting it, and confusing the customers, Kyoya leaned into the touch to rest his head on Tamaki's shoulder once again, though facing the girls this time.

"You two are very close, aren't you?" a girl finally gushed, finding her voice again. Kyoya tried as hard as he could to think of a suitable response, but another rarity of Tamaki beating him to it occurred.

"You..." he started, slowly interlacing his fingers with Kyoya's, "You could say that." The girls could take no more, and every single female (with the exception of Haruhi) in sight fainted. Shocked, they all blinked in awe until Hani reached down and poked a girl with his index finger.

"Takashi, are they all dead?" he teared up, continuously prodding the still figures. Mori strode over to him silently and pried away the little boy's fingers, instead lifting him up onto his broad shoulders.

"No, Mitskune. They're all knocked out." Hani's eyes lit up and he launched into babbling about the Haninozuka martial arts style knockouts. Kyoya sighed in relief, and he felt Tamaki finger his hair to get his attention. Unweaving his fingers, Kyoya rose from his seat while still giving the French man a questioning look as means of response.

"C'mon, Kyoya," Tamaki drawled as he stretched his body upward into a standing position, "we might as well go home, since all the girls are out cold." Kyoya's dark brows arched upward in question, but they went unnoticed by Tamaki who was gathering _both_ of their schoolbooks and other possessions. He even went as far as to retrieve his little black book from Haruhi, bounding back over to him and extending the arm full of Kyoya's things with a smile.

"Tamaki, what are you doing?" he inquired, nonetheless taking his belongings from the outstretched limb. Confused, the blond looked at him for a moment before a sudden realization crossed over his features, followed by a smile.

"I was serious when I said you're coming home with me, Kyoya. It's not like anything I said was untrue, don't you know? I'm a lot more observant that you give me credit for, Mommy dear." Awe struck, Kyoya simply followed the blond boy who was tugging on his wrist, and before he knew it he was stepping inside an expensive estate. Shaking his head to try and restore his awareness, Kyoya surveyed his surroundings in what he guessed was the main hall. It was a nicely decorated room, with light peach colored walls and soft white carpet, with a lush red rug extending from the main door all the way to the grand staircase that Tamaki was dragging him up. He was led down a long hall and around a corner or two and into what he presumed was Tamaki's bedroom. Kyoya had been to the estate before, of course, but it was generally business related or for a school project, where they relaxed in one of many lounges. But he'd never really been in more intimate places like the bedrooms before. At the thought of his wording, Kyoya felt himself blush. Of COURSE he wouldn't have been...intimate, with Tamaki.

"Okay Kyoya, I'm going to change out of this uniform," the blond stated, rummaging through the drawers of a cherry wood dresser and pulling out some cotton sleep wear, "You're welcome to borrow something from me to sleep in, if you like. Sorry if it's a little big, but you've got a smaller figure than I do, heh. I'll knock before I come back in." And on that note, the French man left the room and headed into what Kyoya guessed was the connecting bathroom to change. Figuring that he wouldn't want to sleep in his clothes, the dark haired boy slowly led himself to the dresser. He picked out a soft green short sleeved shirt and a simple pair of grey pajama bottoms and quickly set about changing. When he was done, Kyoya set his neat pile of folded clothes on the bench at the end of the bed. Unsure of what to do next, he set himself on the end of the bed and folded his hands between his legs, waiting for Tamaki to bound in and direct him to do...something. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to be doing here. Just then, there was a light rapping on the wooden door, and a soft call.

"Kyoya? You decent? Oh well, its not like we're any different in physical aspects, I'm coming in anyway," he blabbed, pulling on the door handle and making his way in. His strides were short and deliberately slow, as if he were treading on thin ice toward the Shadow King. Kyoya made no move to stop or chide him for his behavior, but instead opted to hang his head in exhaustion. He wasn't quite used to being treated like this, even though he was a friend of Tamaki's. Speaking of the blond, Tamaki reached the bed and settled himself carefully next to his friend, speaking in a soft, airy voice.

"Kyoya, I admit that I'm an idiot sometimes, but I'm not when it comes to things like this. I can see that you're in pain. And I'm going to guess that...it's your family, and someone you like, right? It's not your family in particular, but they play a role in how you're stressing over feeling things for your love. It's how they brought you up, with a general belief that showing emotion was a weakness," Tamaki deadpanned. Intrigued, Kyoya stayed silent, hoping that the blond would continue as he was pulled into another side hug.

"But that's not true, Kyoya. Showing people how you feel can be the best tool in the world. It can start so many things. You can be happy. I know you've never really been shown affection, based on your lineage, but that's going to change. Okay?" he asked, rubbing his soothingly hand up and down Kyoya's arm through the embrace. Upon hearing this, the Ootori boy felt his bottom lip tremble. He'd never told anyone that. In fact, he'd never told anyone that he was a legitimate hopeless romantic that didn't know how to handle being affectionate. When he was younger, he craved it, the affection, even dreamed of it. But because he was one of the Ootori, he was shot down at a young age and was never taught how to express himself. That's all he'd really ever wanted.

And he was finally, finally getting an opportunity. Feeling the unfamiliar sting in his eyes, Kyoya whimpered brokenly and turned himself into Tamaki, clutching at the blue cotton beneath his hands. For the second time that day, which was already once too many times, Tamaki comfortingly wrapped his arms around his best friend, enclosing him in his arms. The Suoh boy slowly brought one of his hands up to stroke Kyoya's ebony locks tenderly. For the longest time, Tamaki felt the other boy shake and tremble in his embrace, unleashing every pent up anguish he'd ever had in his arms, until Kyoya finally stilled, breathing unsteady and shallow. Sliding his hand down the cheekbone of the Ootori boy's face, Tamaki left his hand under his chin and tilted it upward to face him.

"Are you going to be alright, Kyoya?" he asked gingerly, royal blue eyes searching pools of amber brown. The dark haired male adjusted his glasses, which had understandably been skewed, and looked down.

"I'm sorry, Tamaki, I didn't know I was going to do that," was his response, murmured almost silently in an apologetic tone. The blond now brought his hands up to rest on the other boy's face, smiling reassuringly and replying with a compassionate smile.

"No Kyoya, this is good for you!" he chirped, "Expressing how you feel is good. It's a normal human behavior, and I'm going to help you with this, alright? Being French, I AM an expert on expressive behavior. It's what we do, after all," he breathed airily, eliciting a small huff of laughter from his companion before the room fell back into a silence. Kyoya wondered for a moment whether...whether or not Tamaki would allow him to TRY and express himself. Seeing no harm, in doing so, he asked his friend.

"Tamaki, you say you want to help me be...affectionate. Can I try that now?" he inquired timidly. Shocked by his quick progress, the blond nodded his head enthusiastically and folded his hands in his lap, patient. Clearing his throat, the ebony haired boy rubbed his hand on his neck nervously.

"Please...be still and close your eyes Tamaki. I'm still not entirely comfortable with this idea..." He looked up again through his glasses and saw that his blond friend had eagerly complied, squeezing his eyes shut with his eyebrows raised in anticipation. Kyoya dry swallowed, and took a deep breath. He forced himself to raise his hands to Tamaki's face, hovering of the planes of his cheeks and not actually touching them. Leaning forward, Kyoya told himself that the only way to do this was quickly, and once he was sure he would end up on target, the Ootori boy closed his eyes, resting his hands on Tamaki's face and pressing their lips together in a fraction of a second. Underneath his touch, he felt the other boy jump, and he pulled away as if burned. Kyoya stood up and turned his back on Tamaki, feeling his face redden in horror. He heard Tamaki's breath, heavy and gasping, behind him, and internally slapped himself as the boy began to stutter.

"K-kyoya...I never...I never knew you felt this way," he muttered breathily. He felt even more blood rush to his face, leaving a burning sensation that was extremely intense. He remained silent, but then Tamaki's tinkling laughter filled the room. Kyoya curiously turned his head, and over his shoulder he saw Tamaki smiling ecstatically and giggling like a school girl, cupping his flushed cheeks.

"Now see Kyoya, that's the perfect example. If you'd told me this earlier, it'd have saved us a lot of time," he chuckled, puzzling Kyoya. Tamaki wasn't supposed to be laughing right now, was he? And what did he mean by saving time?

"What...what are you talking about, Tamaki?" he asked, voice low. He honestly did NOT feel like being laughed at, not while he was this vulnerable. This...this was why he never let himself be vulnerable. Kyoya felt his anger begin to rise, along with those unfamiliar tears, when he felt Tamaki tug him back toward the bed.

"Kyoya, if you'd have told me sooner, or maybe just dropped a hint, I could've done this so much sooner." Kyoya felt confused again, another emotion he wasn't used to having.

"Do what? Tamaki, I-" he was cut off as his lips met Tamaki's again, this time for longer, and with more of a tender passion behind it. Kyoya slowly started to kiss him back, craving the affection. As they pulled away, Tamaki caressed his face again, staring contentedly at him.

"...Tamaki?" he whispered, hope rising in his voice. The blond shook his head, smiling, and once again capturing Kyoya's bottom lip between his own. As he pulled away, Kyoya couldn't help but beam at the feeling in his chest, the warmth of Tamaki's body against his own, and the relief of acceptance. He tangled his hands in the golden blond locks and pressed their foreheads together.

"Now, Kyoya," he breathed, "We seem to have mastered the art of expressing emotions. Now we can move on to the next fine French art," he mused, grinning like a cat. Kyoya had no idea what he meant, but nonetheless took the bait and raised his eyebrows in question.

"I'm going to be your educator in French Kissing, Mommy dearest."

...

And as was to be expected, Kyoya Ootori soon surpassed his tutor in his new favorite subject.


End file.
